Ten Thousand I Love Yous by Lisa Slabach

Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 303 pages

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Synopsis

In this humorously touching novel by the critically acclaimed author of Degrees of Love, a woman is blindsided when her high school sweetheart abandons her after eighteen years of marriage.

At sixteen, Kimberly Kirby thought the only thing she needed to be perfectly happy was to spend the rest of her life with Jay Braxton. Twenty years later, she still believes it. As they proudly watch their daughter, Haley, graduate from high school, she imagines her life is as perfect as anyone could reasonably expect. Jay is a formidable attorney, she a freelance writer, and their love as strong as ever. With Haley heading to UC Berkeley in the fall, Kimberly fantasizes about making love on the kitchen table. She has no clue that Jay’s bags are already packed.

Now divorced and determined to squelch her love for Jay, she accepts a gig writing a sex and dating blog for divorcees. As the Virgin Dater, she is on the hunt for love. No-strings-attached nights with a sexy fireman and moving to San Francisco are just what she needs to boost her battered ego and mend her shattered heart.

But just as she falls hard for a talented young chef, Jay fights to win her back. Torn between her bold new life and the comfort of Jay’s strong arms, she questions if there is too much to forgive. The ten thousand I love yous that had passed Jay’s lips can’t be dismissed, but nor can her newfound freedom and the knowledge that her happiness doesn’t depend on Jay.

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Review

This book may resonate with some readers and I can imagine they will be nodding their heads and saying “yes, that happened to me too.”

Kimberly married very young and had her first child at eighteen. While she and Jay seemed like the perfect couple, apparently he had other ideas once their daughter graduated from high school. He wasn’t even man enough to talk to her about it, he just packed bags and called it quits. Perhaps it was a mid-life crisis, perhaps he had fallen out of love with her, but whatever Jay’s reasons, he was a coward to not even talk to her about the situation. Maybe he tried and she just didn’t hear him, but I think he probably did not.

This sends Kimberly on a downward spiral but then she manages to bounce back and figures if she is going to be on her own then she needs to put her life together with the way she wants to live it and not by anyone else’s expectations. She loses some weight and even finds herself in a club with her longtime friend, Val. I had to chuckle at her reaction and experience in the club because I’m sure it was not what she expected and having been married for her younger days when visiting clubs would be common, threw her for a loop. This doesn’t stop her from attracting the attention of a gentleman in the club, a fireman no less. Kimberly learns a lot about herself during her time with him and I found myself relating to her because I am not sure I could be a serial dater either.

I loved the name of her new column, The Virgin Dater. That has all sorts of implications and I would have enjoyed seeing more of the “articles” under that column shared throughout the book. We don’t see as many as I might expect.

You could say this book is one of discovery for Kimberly as she navigates the dating world, moves to a new town, and deals with her now ex and his jealousy. I’m not sure if I would have gone down the same path in the end as her, but I can understand the draw. Sometimes life throws us curveballs and we have to learn how to swing at those pitches.

Overall, this was an enjoyable story and even though I couldn’t relate to her specific situation, I could understand her struggles and admired her for becoming a better version of herself. We give this 4 paws up.

About the Author

Ten Thousand I Love Yous is Lisa Slabach’s second novel.

Prior to publication, her first novel, Degrees of Love was recognized as a Best Book of 2014 by Kirkus Review. Degrees of Love made its publishing debut December 1, 2017, and was nominated for a 2017 Reviewer’s Choice Award by RT Book Reviews.

In addition to writing, Lisa is a Fintech Relationship Executive for a Fortune 500 Company. She is a long-time resident of Northern California and lives with her husband, one-hundred-forty-pound puppy, and numerous goldfish. In her free time, she enjoys wine tasting, shopping with her daughters, and cooking in her pink kitchen.

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Giveaway

Enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card, autographed copy of Lisa Slabach’s TEN THOUSAND I LOVE YOUS and DEGREES OF LOVE (one winner/USA only) (ends April 29)

TEN THOUSAND I LOVE YOUS Book Tour Giveaway